Ex-Liverpool striker Peter Crouch says his former club cannot be ignored in this season's title race, but admits the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations will be a concern for Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds have been in scintillating form since the last international break with two consecutive 4-0 wins at Anfield in the Premier League over Arsenal and Southampton.
They also beat Porto 2-0 last week to maintain their 100 percent record in the Champions League.
Crouch says the Reds look like 'primed to blow teams away', but AFCON represents a problem for Klopp in the forward areas.
READ MORE: Thiago Alcantara decision explained as Liverpool face Joel Matip dilemma
READ MORE: Every word of Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane's heated argument over Cristiano Ronaldo
"There was an interesting dynamic to the title conversation at the start of this season," he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail . "Liverpool are always around it these days, and suggesting they had been forgotten would be wrong, but everybody's eyes seemed to be diverted elsewhere.
"If Liverpool had signed Erling Haaland then they would have been everybody's favourites at the start of the season. But they didn't, so they weren't.
"Since the international break, they have looked primed to blow teams away. Every point counts and Klopp knows that the Africa Cup of Nations represents a problem in those forward areas.
"In addition to missing games, flying home from Cameroon after taking part in a tournament like that and coming straight into a gruelling run-in is not easy."
Liverpool are set to lose Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita for the tournament, which begins on January 9 next year.
Klopp confirmed last week that the club are still in discussions to ensure the late release of the trio and allow them to stay an extra week for the games against Leicester City and Chelsea.
When asked if a decision had been made, he told reporters: “Not really, it is early for that. We are still talking.
“Are we hoping to get an agreement? Yes.”
